March 7, 1937Chrysler workers begin sit-down strike to win recognition of UAW as their bargaining agent.

March-April, 1937
Sit-down strikes sweep plants in many areas as drive for union – recognition picks up in many industries.

March, 1937UAW recognized at North American Aviation, now Rockwell Int.

May 27, 1937Battle of the Overpass: on May 27 Ford Service Dept. thugs beat up UAW organizers Walter Reuther, J. J. Kennedy, Richard Frankensteen, Bob Kanter, and members of the women’s auxiliary to try to stop them from handing out leaflets at plant gate.

Nov. 14, 1938Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) founded.

March 27, 1939R. J. Thomas elected UAW’s third president at convention in Cleveland. Later, former President Homer Martin takes small faction of union back into AFL.

August 6, 1939UAW wins “strategy strike” led by skilled-trades workers at key GM facilities. Company recognizes UAW’s right to bargain for GM workers, establishes seniority rights, and lays ground-work for apprenticeship program.

October, 1939UAW strikes Chrysler after company locks out workers at Dodge Main plant in Detroit. Union wins right to negotiate production standards and arbitration of grievances.

July 31, 1941UAW charters first white-collar local, International Officer Workers Local 889.

Dec. 8, 1941UAW Int’l Executive Board adopts no-strike pledge after war breaks out between the U.S. and Japan: later reaffirmed by membership poll.

1942Union wins doubling of paid vacation time for workers with five years’ seniority in negotiations with GM Contract also provides 4 cents-per-hour pay increase with 6 cents additional for tool-and-die and some maintenance classifications.

Workers trying to make things better for all, fight, get beat half to death, jailed and even die, to acquire such benefits as COLA. The benefit propelled industrial workers in the Auto industry to the highest paid in any factory setting. Today bargaining committees seem to give principal items away as though it was no different than a Christmas bonus, holidays, health care, or work rules by the baskets full.

1948First contract negotiated with Caterpillar Tractor.

1949First employer-paid and jointly administered pension program won by UAW at Ford Motor Co.

1949UAW urges auto industry to design and build “A Motor Car Named Desire.” a new small car to open up market to more working people.

1950
Chrysler workers win pensions, following 104-day strike under slogan, “Too Old to Work. Too Young To Die.”

1950UAW wins union shop at GM

1950UAW wins first (partially) paid hospitalization and medical program at GM.

Never required to pay premiums on health from 1965 until I retired in 2004, concessions took away that luxury also.

1955UAW wins first Supplemental Unemployment Benefits. At Ford first in the industry as part of an effort to win a guaranteed annual wage for workers.

1961UAW wins profit-sharing formula in negotiations “with American Motors Corp.Walter stated that programs that induced one worker to squeal on another for leaving the plant with a shop rag in his pocket, were not the type of program unions should attempt to negotiate for the benefits of the memberships.

1962Bereavement pay first negotiated at Allis-Chalmers.

1963UAW joins March on Washington; lobbies for Civil rights law.

1964Union negotiates early retirement program at International Harvester and paid AbsenceAllowance (PAA) at caterpillar.

1964Fully-paid hospitalization, surgical, and medical won for retirees

1967Wage parity (equality) won for Canadian and U.S. workers in Chrysler.

1970UAW wins “30-and-Out’ early, retirement program. Uncapped COLA. Up to four-weeks of paid Vacation and other gains following 10-week strike at GM.

And in 1971 through the PPG decision managements are no longer require to bargaining to impasse concerning current retirees with the union. So in todays concessionary phase who can afford to use the benefit.

1970“30 and Out” extended to cover Chrysler workers.

1973
UAW Health and Safety committees established.

And we later lost all muscle from the process when the right to strike was conceded, and all complaints are resolved through the grievance procedure rather than the 5-day process.

1973UAW Attendance Bonus won in agricultural-implement contracts.

1976Paid Personal Holidays (PPH) pattern set at Ford in efforts to reduce work time and create more employment.

The move WAS on for a four (4) day (8) hour work week. Concessions have long caused that dream some had, to bite that dust. All days off PPH, shut down summer vacation, gone for most all of us today.

1977Douglas Fraser succeeds Leonard Woodcock as UAW President.

1977Paid education leave won in Canada.

1978Volkswagen of America workers Vote to join UAW.

1979Union agrees to concessions to help save Chrysler from bankruptcy.

1980For first time, workers win representation on Chrysler Board of Directors as UAW President Fraser takes seat.

1983UAW joins Solidarity Day demonstrations in cities throughout U.S., and participates in March on Washington recalling Civil Rights March of 1963.

1984GM contract sets new job-security pattern: eligible workers with one year or more seniority to be offered “jobs bank” instead of layoff. GM and Ford agree to build new small cars in U.S. and set up venture capital fund to create new jobs.

Not much, if anything to brag about after the 80’s insofar as permanent gains for the members, usually performance bonus, bonus to sell health care, bonus to sellout COLA, bonus seems to by a bunch of benefits and work rules for the managements these days, so bragging will return when our base pay raises, time off with pay, COLA and health care RETURNS.

Reuther was the only leader I ever had the honor of listening to that could hold the attention of thousand of radical Union leaders, and while doing so he would reminisce about the future of working folks for hours. Although a Vice President, “Irving Bluestone”, serving with Walter, came in a close second.

From 1937 to 1941, the UAW had brought almost all the autoworkers in the United States and Canada into the UAW under labor contracts..

Hope you enjoyed the read on the past achievements of us working folks; kind of wish we were such progress today!!

Dad always said;

A real rep chooses to state “they can’t do that” and finds a ways to prove it, rather than stating “they can do that” and walk away.

To be number 1 you are odd.

When I shut my month and walk away, it doesn’t mean you have won. It means you aren’t worth any more of my time.

Being officers and reps is supposed to be hard, if it weren’t, everybody would be doing it. The hard is what makes it great.